NO. 1: WNBA: SPARKS vs. SEATTLE

Details/TV: At Staples Center, Saturday, 2 p.m., ESPN

Wake up and smell the basketball championship celebration.

The Clippers and Lakers may not lose any pride, or sleep, over this, but there’ll be a banner ceremony and ring distribution at Staples Center for the Sparks, who pulled off the WNBA title last year and now get back into defense mode with the first of 34 games that goes all the way to Labor Day weekend.

Remember, the Sparks started 20-1 last season, finished 26-8 and outlasted Minnesota in the best-of-five championship series — with the controversial ending, and Magic Johnson popping in to help hoist the trophy. The franchise quickly signed contract extensions with WNBA Finals MVP Candace Parker, regular-season MVP Nneka Ogwumike and league Sixth Player of the Year Jantel Lavender. Parker starts her 10th WNBA season, ranking in the top 15 career in points (15.3), rebounds (7.4), assists (4.9) and steals (1.38), as well as blocks (0.97). The Sparks lost top 3-point threat Kristi Toliver to free agency but made a draft-day deal for Odyssey Simms (14.0 points a game, 3.9 assists) with Dallas and also selected Sydney Wiese, the Pac-12’s all-time 3-point leader out of Oregon State.

Brian Agler, who led Seattle to the 2010 championship, returns as the Sparks head coach, the first in league history to win titles with two different franchises.

If the Sparks pull off another title, it would be their fourth to tie Houston for the most in league history. But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.

NO. 2: NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: DUCKS vs. OILERS

Details/TV: Game 7 at Honda Center, Wednesday (time TBA), NBCSN

As long as they’ve fought it out to this point, why not accept a winner-take-all scenario back in Anaheim? Winner gets to look forward to the conference finals against Nashville.

NO. 3: CYCLING: 12th AMGEN TOUR OF CALIFORNIA: STAGE 1

Details/TV: At Sacramento, Sunday, 12:30 p.m., NBCSN

The event concludes in Pasadena on May 21, by way of Santa Clarita, Ontario, Mt. Baldy and Mountain High. But before we get there, the 575-mile Tour de France-style road race begins in the state capitol, knocking out two sprints and three laps staged. This year, it’s also designated as the first UCI WorldTour event. France’s Julian Alaphilippe is the defending champion, with American Brent Bookwalter finishing third.

NO. 6: GOLF: THE PGA TOUR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

The purse of $10.5 million tops the Masters ($10 mil), is equal to the PGA Championship and is second only to the U.S. Open ($12 million). Jason Day is the defending champion. And, yes, this is the one with the famous island hole.

NO. 7: MLS: GALAXY at N.Y. RED BULLS

The Galaxy (2-5-2) have been waiting for a Giovani dos Santos sighting. Maybe it’s happened. The Red Bulls (5-5-1) come off a 3-0 loss to Eastern Conference last-place Philadelphia.

NO. 8: NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: WARRIORS VS. JAZZ

Details/TV: Game 4 at Utah, Monday at 6 p.m., TNT

SPURS VS. ROCKETS

Details/TV: Game 5 at San Antonio, Tuesday at 5 p.m., TNT

You’re still paying attention to all this? God bless you.

NO. 9: UFC 211: STIPE MIOCIC vs. JUNIOR DOS SANTOS

Details/TV: At American Airlines Center in Dallas, Saturday at 7 p.m., pay-per-view

Miocic (16-2) defends his heavyweight title against the Brazilian Dos Santos (18-4), the former champ now ranked fourth in the division, as the main event. Dos Santos won a unanimous decision over Miocic in a Fight of the Night in December 2014. More info: http://www.ufc.com

Tom Hoffarth is a freelancer. He had been with the Daily News/Southern California News Group since 1992 as a general assignment sports reporter, columnist and specialist in the sports media. He has been honored by the Associated Press for sports columnists and honored by the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association for his career work. His favorite sportscaster of all time: Vin Scully, for professional and personal reasons. He considers watching Zenyatta win the Breeders' Cup 2009 Classic to be the most memorable sporting event he has covered in his career. Go figure that.

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